Italy will look to confirm their place in UEFA EURO 2012 with six more Group C points, but the battle for the runners-up slot in the section remains fierce, with Slovenia's position under threat from Northern Ireland, Serbia and even fifth-ranked Estonia, while the Faroe Islands have proved durable opponents and will make a little bit of history against the Azzurri.

Italy (16 points)If Italy win in the Faroe Islands then beat Slovenia, their finals place is secure. ACF Fiorentina striker Alberto Gilardino and Cagliari Calcio defender Davide Astori are back in Italy's 24-man squad, but Juventus forward Alessandro Matri misses out with a knee injury. Villarreal CF's Giuseppe Rossi joined up with his team-mates a day late, on Tuesday, as his side had a league match on Monday night.

Slovenia (11 pts)NK Maribor defender Mitja Viler is the only newcomer in the Matjaž Kek's squad, with the absence of forward Zlatko Dedič more pronounced, with the squad regular yet to play for his club, VfL Bochum 1848, this season. "Only three points against Estonia will keep us in race for EURO 2012," said Kek. "Fortunately, we don't have any major injury problems, though Matej Mavrič has some issues with a hamstring."

Northern Ireland (9 pts)Manager Nigel Worthington, whose side have a game in hand on Slovenia, hailed the return of Kyle Lafferty and Chris Brunt to his squad, from injury and suspension respectively, as a "major boost". "To have those two players back in the group for two massive games is a real plus for us," added Worthington, adding: "We've put ourselves in an excellent position in the group, but we've got to kick on now and go for it. There's a great incentive there for the players."

Serbia (8 pts)Serbia coach Vladimir Petrović will be without injured trio Nemanja Vidić, Nikola Žigić and Miloš Krasić but has recalled Duško Tošić, who takes his place in the national squad after a 15-month absence. "There are two hard matches ahead of us," said Petrović, whose side also have a game in hand on Slovenia. "I am an optimist and believe that we will be successful." Captain Dejan Stanković can become only the second Serbian to reach 100 caps if he plays in both qualifiers and close in on Savo Milošević's 102-cap record.

Estonia (7 pts)Tarmo Rüütli has named his strongest squad, but Sander Puri will miss the Slovenia game through suspension, while the nation's 33-year-old Andres Oper is omitted as he continues to search for the new club. While their group position is not calamitous, Rüütli's men have lost their last five games by an aggregate 15-0 scoreline and are keen to make amends.

Faroe Islands (4 pts)Left-back Einar Hansen and left-sided midfielder Símun Samuelsen return after missing the 4-0 defeat against Northern Ireland through injury, while Pól Jóhannus Justinussen is available after serving a suspension. The game against Italy will be the national team's first home match under floodlights; the newly installed 40m-tall lamps are the tallest structures in the Faroese capital, Torshavn.

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